Yamaha YX-230 Xylophone kit

Yamaha Corporation of America today announced the launch of the YX-230 Xylophone, a step-up mallet percussion instrument that is ideal for beginning percussionists.

Measuring 45.5” long in a compact, simple design, this 3-octave (C-to-C range) tabletop student xylophone is intended for 5th-7th graders who often use rented “student kits” before progressing to tabletop xylophones in middle school. It requires no assembly and offers easy playability and handling, making the YX-230 xylophone the perfect first instrument for music education, practice and performance.

Made with quality materials and featuring 1-1/2"-wide bars, the YX-230 also employs octave tuning, resulting in a tone that is suitable for solo playing and private practice at home. Octave tuning reduces superfluous overtones, resulting in a pleasing sound for solo performance.

"The YX-230 offers something completely new and fresh to the world of student percussion," says Troy C. Wollwage, marketing manager, Yamaha Percussion. "We interviewed dealers, schools, artists and educators while developing this product in order to gain direct insight into the real needs of the market. The result is a versatile xylophone that replaces the traditional, student percussion kit with an instrument featuring exceptional quality, tuning consistency and sound that will set beginning percussion students on a path towards success."

The new xylophone’s professionally tuned padauk wood bars provide the Yamaha quality of sound that band directors have appreciated for more than three decades. A built-in handle allows the instrument to be easily carried by one person. The post, which is made of resin, will not bend and dampen bar resonance or cause unwanted noise.

The YX-230 comes complete with a cover that protects the instrument from dust and scratches, as well as a pair of ME-103 mallets. The YGS-70 stand and PCS-YX230 soft case are sold separately. On display at PASIC 2016, the YX-230 tabletop xylophone will begin shipping in January 2017, and carries an MSRP from $1,398 to $1,724.

For more information, please visit 4wrd.it/YX-230